How do I convince my dad that games aren't "Evil"?

[Sebenko]

Unlucky. My parents say I spend too much time on my PC, but that's probably true (10AM to 11PM every day? maybe a little bit).

But my parents seem to have realised that I'm a nerd and it might get me a job because computers are computers and it's all the same to them. Does mean I have to fix all computer problems that happen in the house though. Most of which are on dad's mac. And usually caused by it being a mac (trying to run .exe files and whatever it is macs can't do).

Of course, if it's a solution you're looking for, try using science. Lots of it. baffle him until he just can't argue. Works for most people.

 

[irtaco]

It could be worse. He could actually not let you get them. My friend's never played GTA because his Dad's against new media. Especcially violent new media.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

My mom is very anti-violent games. She hates any game that recieves an M rating. I was playing Half-Life 2 and she walked in to see me give a Combine soldier a face full of buckshot and that was it. My dad is very easy going, but told me my mom complained to him about it, and now I can't play them when my mom is around and I can't buy M rated games. It sucks, now the only games I can play are Flash games, and to think I could be playing Borderlands or Fallout 3.

 

[The_ModeRazor]

Your dad seems somewhat annoying.
Tell him he's just wrong. Period.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

While all of the above is sound advice, it assumes you are having a rational argument. An argument with a parent is very rarely rational. Also, anyone who decries a game as 'evil', and says it will make you evil is very ill-informed. Especially if they don't understand that the only way for a game to possibly make you evil is by influencing you, but say it doesn't matter how much it influences; this is a flaw in logic you will not overcome.

Keep playing the games, and as long as you don't take up genocide as your spare hobby, he might understand. If not, wait until you're 18, move out, and don't ever mention gaming again.

 

[thedailylunatic]

Sorry dude, nothing you can really do. You could tell him that video games are an exciting new medium for storytelling, much like movies were 100 years ago, and they're only scary because he doesn't understand it. The reason why there's violence in games is because it heightens dramatic tension: it's much more compelling to be made to fight for your life in Doom than it is to fear the sting of social rebuke in Polly Prissypants Tea Party 5. Because I'm a dick, I'd also make the point that the people I knew in high school who loved video games were usually decent, kind-hearted people (albeit nerdy as all get out), whereas the people I knew in high school who loved football (American, but I'm sure the paradigm is similar in Europe) were merciless violent 'roid-raging fucks on a power trip.

But none of these matters: your dad is either an ignorant hippie douche or an ignorant fascist douche and none of your appeals to logic will do any good. As long as he restrains himself to self-righteous guilt tripping, then I guess the best thing for you to do would be to prove him wrong: plaster your goddamn walls with game posters laden with blood and gore, play all the most violent and foul-mouthed games, and still turn out to be a better human being than he is when you grow up. That's what I did (at least I think so) and it worked out pretty well for me.

 

[Stoic raptor]

Dude, your dads right. Im suprised you havent killed 50 people by now. Unless you forgot to mention something.

 

[Zildjin81]

You can't change his mind. You CAN firebomb the Faux news building.

I would include a link to "the makeshift arsenal" list of home made weapons, but i think it would be frowned upon.

Spoiler

I find this post (even if the poster is joking) to be hilariously ironic.

 

[ejb626]

I went to Summer Camp with some guy whoose parents wouldn't let him play any FPSes whatsoever.
I remember the conversation.
Him: I like to design Hammer maps for TF2 and then send them to my friends to play
Me: But you can't play them?
Him: Yeah, but my friends do and tell me they're good.
Me: So you're not allowed to play M games
Him: No I'm not allowed to play FPS games at all
Me: Then how'd you play Metroid Prime Hunters like you told me about last time?
Him: I had to borrow it in secret from my friend
Me: But you're not even killing real people in that game.
Him: Yeahm but they're humanoid so my parents think its close enough

Poor guy, he was 15 too I then told him I would make a T-rated FPS where you fought non-humanoid killer bugs just for him as a joke. On a side-note he was the one who introduced me to ZP so he might be a member of this forum for all I know.

Tell your dad to stop listening to Fox News and the Austrailian Government in fact point our that HE is the one who is easilly influenced because hes giving into sensationalist yellow journalism about video games.

 

[Shru1kan]

Play animal crossing and wear girl pants.

He'll start begging you to shoot things in no time.

I'm at a loss for words... thats.... GENIUS.

 

[thedailylunatic]

It's the generation gap.

There is no way to cross it.

In 1996 engineers from both sides attempted to build a bridge across the generation gap, it was met with tragic failure, the final death toll was over 15,000.

Mine buys my games for me if he gets to play with them first

Wanna trade. Please. I'll do anything.

Nope, but you can have Fat Man Spoon's.

Lol, you mean over 9000 right?

 

[Casual Shinji]

It's the generation gap.

There is no way to cross it.

In 1996 engineers from both sides attempted to build a bridge across the generation gap, it was met with tragic failure, the final death toll was over 15,000.

That's nothing compaired to the wormhole experiment conducted in the 1940's, designed to cross the gap between men and women.

It resulted in this....

Spoiler: 1950's FOOD ADS!

 

[Macgyvercas]

As long as I understand that what's on the screen isn't real, and have my work done, my dad doesn't give a shit what I play. Mom doesn't want me playing GTA or Halo, despite the fact that I'm fairly certain she knows I own God of War one and two. Explain that.

 

[Xvito]

My dad's always been skeptical about me playing any games with guns in them, and I've always tried to let it go and not get pissed, but today we had a conversation that made me realize I had to do something. I started up Urban Terror, a Quake 3 Arena mod with blood turned off. The conversation went like this:

WARNING: Big wall-o-text
Dad: Is that the gun game?
Me: Yes dad, this is the "gun game"
Dad: -in a normal, perfectly conversational tone- I hate that game. It's evil.
Me: What?
Dad: It's a game about killing people. It'll make you want to kill people.
Me: No it won't. I'm not that easily influenced.
Dad: It's not about how easily influenced you are. That game will make you evil.
Me: No it won't.
Dad: Yes it will. Games like that make you violent.
Me: I'm not violent!
Dad: Yes you are. You're using a violent tone right now.
Me: so I can't play it anymore?
Dad: You'll stop eventually.
Me: What does that mean?
Dad: Someday you'll understand and stop playing that game. -leaves-


So have any of you Escapists had a similar experience? And what can I do to change my Dad's mind about video games?

I think it's time to put him down...

 

[Ace of Spades]

"Yeah, sure dad, I'll make sure to call your in a few decades when I finally turn my back on my horribly unenlightened past and I realize that games are evil."

 

[fluffybunny937]

I know the solution to your problem.
Get game. pour Holy water on it. When it doesn't burst into flames your dad won't think it's evil anymore.

 

[Sassafrass]

Play Viva Pinata in front him. Show him all games aren't evil and that some are cute.
But remember, don't beat them to death in front of him with the shovel.

If you can't do that, show him footage of Viva Pinata.
That's all I've got on that.